Following is the Remarks delivered by His Excellency Senior Minister HOR Namhong, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Cambodia, on the Emerald Triangle Development Cooperation (Cambodia - Laos - Thailand) held in Pakse, Lao P.D.R., on 2 August 2003:

Colleagues,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. First of all, I wish to sincerely thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao P.D.R. for a warm hospitality extended to my delegation and the excellent arrangements of this meeting.

2. Cambodia truly appreciates the initiative that we are taking to develop the area where the borders of our three countries meet. Moreover, I am particularly happy that what we are discussing here today will fore sure significantly complement to what we just concluded yesterday in Bangkok in the framework of the ECS of CLMT countries. This Emerald Triangle area possesses enormous potentials for tourism development, golf course, eco-tourism and cultural tourism. Besides its natural beauty and important historical sites, this area is abundant in geographic riches and natural landscapes. Its long inaccessibility has preserved these assets and minimized tourism promotion and development in the area.

3. With the prevailing peace and security in the region and with the closer relations among Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, the Emerald Triangle has gradually become an important part of the development programs within the frameworks of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) and the East-West Corridor.

4. I believe that, with a clear vision of the Emerald Triangle development, over the long term, the implementation of the Emerald Triangle tourism development plan will certainly lead to the development of commerce and infrastructure, so as to turn this area into an economic "hot-spot" in the lower Mekong region.

5. Yet, to realize this vision of the Emerald Triangle, we need to secure investments and conduct appropriate feasibility studies and environmental impact analyses. To develop tourism we need investments and we can't talk about tourism without infrastructure development in this part of our common borders.

6. For Cambodia, growth triangle arrangements are designed to complement the GMS, the overall economic cooperation in the ASEAN, and, also, the ECS among CLMT countries we just discussed yesterday. The development of the Emerald Triangle can help strengthen pro-poor growth strategies because it would contribute to:

First, stimulate growth in border areas that are often the poorest areas of our countries; 
Second, facilitate access to markets through infrastructure development that could further enhance agricultural production and raise rural incomes; 
Third, respond to the special needs of ethnic minorities and other vulnerable groups; 
Fourth, reduce the marginal cost of services, such as telecommunications and electrification to this rural area through region-wide transmission links.
7. To undertake tourism cooperative activities concretely, the following measures or plan of action should be implemented:
 
Joint promotion and marketing. 
Facilitation of travel and visa arrangements we already discussed in the framework of ECS among CLMT countries. 
Human resource development, in particular the including training of tourism professionals.
8. To move the development of the Emerald Triangle forward, I believe that we should start by identifying the land areas of the Emerald Triangle for development.

9. With regard to the issue of mechanism for consultation, I believe that we may wish to set up a focal point and working group on each side of the Emerald Triangle. While the focal point can deal with a comprehensive manner, the working group works in sectoral areas.

10. On the frequency of the meetings for our three-country cooperation at the different levels, I wish to propose that the Senior Officials would meet once a year or on a need basis. For the ministers and the leaders, I think that one meeting a year is sufficient. While in the Eastern Triangular border between Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, two meetings of the three leaders had already taken places in Vientiane and Ho Chi Minh City, respectively, and some development projects have been agreed upon. The third meeting of the Triangular Development will take place in Cambodia in the near future. Therefore, I believe that the summit of our three leaders would give impetus for the development of projects in this area.

11. I am pleased to see that a broader framework of cooperation in the tourism sector has been included in the draft of the Pakse Declaration.

12. To ensure a practical implementation of tourism development in this area, I believe that we need specific plan of action to help us follow up on its realization. Without a concrete action plan, it would be a great challenge for us to move forward on the right track to realize the vision of the Pakse Declaration.

13. Finally, I strongly believe that the Pakse Declaration will lay down an important foundation for genuine sub-regional cooperation built on the aspirations of the peoples in the E.T. to improve their lives and to live in harmony as good and close neighbors. In reaching out to realizing this important vision, a vision that the peoples of Cambodia, Laos and Thailand, as the common stakeholders of the development of this locality, will benefit tremendously from this joint enterprise.